Extending a local area network

ABSTRACT

A local area network system that includes a residential gateway in wired communication with a remote service provider and multiple set top boxes in wired communication with the residential gateway. Each set top box includes a network extender having a wired connection to a residential gateway of a local area network, a media player in communication with the network extender, and at least one wireless transceiver in communication with the network extender. The media player includes a computing processor executing instructions to format a signal received from the network extender for use by a media device. Each set top box is configured as an access point for a local area network of the residential gateway.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. patent application is a divisional of, and claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §121 from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/411,172,filed on Mar. 2, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to an internet protocol media player withnetwork extender functions for extending a local area network.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a home network includes a single WiFi enabled access point(AP) built into a home network gateway (also called a residentialgateway), which is usually located in a living room or a home office ofthe home. WiFi performance typically varies with distance between WiFienabled mobile devices and the access-point and may be adverselyaffected by certain obstacles inside the home. As a result, a homenetwork using a single access point can become challenging in 2- or3-story single family houses or residences constructed of reinforcedconcrete or metal.

SUMMARY

The Internet may provide next generation high-speed data and digitalmedia services such as voice, video, gaming, etc. Broadband networksusing fiber optic technologies to an end-user residence may remove abandwidth bottleneck between network operators and an end-user byoffering Gigabit per second and beyond access speeds. To make efficientuse of the access bandwidths available through fiber optic accesstechnologies, efficient in-house connectivity may be necessary toconnect various digital players and home networking devices within theend-user residence.

Many homes, especially in North America, have an existing coaxial cableinfrastructure, due to the general prevalence of cable based televisionconnectivity. Many modern residences also have structured wiring ofCategory 5 or newer twisted pair Ethernet connections. Coaxial cablesare broadband copper media having usable bandwidths up to about 1 GHz.The present disclosure provides an internet protocol (IP) media playerhaving network extender functions that allow a user to extend a homenetwork using existing coaxial cables. In some implementations, a localarea network (LAN) and/or WiFi network are bridged through coaxialcables with a bridging device. Coaxial cables typically terminate attelevisions or displays where entertainment media is consumed andbroadband data connectivity may be needed to support new forms ofdigital entertainment. Arranging the IP media player function withnetwork extension functions or even integrating the two into one singlehome device may be advantageous for extending a local area networkand/or delivering high-speed broadband data connectivity to severallocalities within a home.

Multiple access points within a home may be used to improve signalcoverage in a relatively large home or a home having rooms separated byconcrete or metal walls. In many newly constructed homes, structuredwiring of Category 5 or 6 twisted copper pairs are available to support1 Gb/s data connectivity from a wiring closet. High-definition contentssuch as 4 k-resolution and 3-D videos may require relatively highbandwidth connectivity from a residential gateway to a set top box,which may not be available with existing wireless connections offered bya single access point. Moreover, it is difficult to guarantee a qualityof service (QoS) with wireless connections offered by WiFi connectivity.In some implementations, the set top box includes network bridging,allowing the set top box to act as a network extender for in-homenetworking. The network extender may extend the coverage of WiFiconnectivity through Layer 2 bridging using coaxial cable or structuredEthernet connections. Moreover, the set top box may extend the Ethernetconnectivity through coaxial bridging.

One aspect of the disclosure provides a set top box that includes anetwork extender and a media player in communication with the networkextender. The network extender is connectable to a residential gatewayof a local area network through a wired connection. The media playerincludes a computing processor executing instructions to format a signalreceived from the network extender for use by a media device. The settop box also includes at least one wireless transceiver in communicationwith the network extender.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing features. In some implementations, the set top box includesmemory for storing the executable instructions. The network extender maybe a network bridge or a switch having multiple ports. In someimplementations, the network extender is capable of providing at least a1 Gb/s data transfer rate.

The at least one wireless transceiver may be configured as a WiFi accesspoint having the same service set identifier(s) (SSID(s)) as theresidential gateway. In some examples, the residential gateway passesthe SSID(s) to the network extender.

The set top box may include an application-specific integrated circuitintegrating thereon the network extender, the media player, and/or theat least one wireless transceiver. In some examples, the set top boxincludes a Bluetooth transceiver and/or an infrared transceiver incommunication with the network extender. Moreover, the media player maybe an internet protocol media player.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a local area network systemthat includes a residential gateway in wired communication with a remoteservice provider and multiple set top boxes in wired communication withthe residential gateway. Each set top box includes a network extenderhaving a wired connection to a residential gateway of a local areanetwork, a media player in communication with the network extender, andat least one wireless transceiver in communication with the networkextender. The media player includes a computing processor executinginstructions to format a signal received from the network extender foruse by a media device. Each set top box is configured as an access pointfor a local area network of the residential gateway.

In some implementations, the network extender is a network bridge or aswitch having multiple ports. The network extender may be capable ofproviding at least a 1 Gb/s data transfer rate.

The at least one wireless transceiver of each set top box may beconfigured as a WiFi access point having the same service setidentifier(s) as the residential gateway. Moreover, the residentialgateway can pass the service set identifier(s) to each set top box.

In some implementations, each set top box further includes anapplication-specific integrated circuit integrating thereon the networkextender, the media player, and/or the at least one wirelesstransceiver. Each set top box may include a Bluetooth transceiver and/oran infrared transceiver in communication with the network extender.

The local area network system may include an optical network terminal incommunication with the residential gateway. The optical network terminalmay be integrated with the residential gateway and configured as anaccess point. In some examples, the wired connection from the remoteservice provider is a fiber optic cable connection. Moreover, the wiredconnection between the set top boxes and the residential gateway may bea coaxial cable connection and/or over an RJ-45 interface.

In yet another aspect, a method of extending a local area networkincludes placing multiple set top boxes about a residence andestablishing a wired connection between each set top box and aresidential gateway of the local area network. Each set top box includesa network extender having a wired connection to the residential gateway,a media player in communication with the network extender, and at leastone wireless transceiver in communication with the network extender. Themedia player includes a computing processor executing instructions toformat a signal received from the network extender for use by a mediadevice. Each set top box receives data packets from the residentialgateway through the corresponding wired connections and is an accesspoint for the local area network.

In some implementations, the method includes establishing a wirelessconnection between at least one of the set top boxes and a localcomputing device in the local area network. The wireless connection maybe a WiFi connection, a Bluetooth connection, or an infrared connection.The method may include establishing a wired connection between theresidential gateway and a remote service provider. The wired connectionmay be a fiber optic connection.

The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otheraspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the descriptionand drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B provide schematic views of exemplary architectures of afiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network.

FIG. 2A provides a schematic view of an exemplary set top box.

FIG. 2B provides a schematic view an exemplary residential networkhaving a set top box connected to a residential gateway through an RJ-45LAN interface.

FIG. 2C provides a schematic view of an exemplary residential networkhaving a set top box connected to a residential gateway through acoaxial interface.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views of exemplary residential networkswithin a home.

FIG. 4 is schematic view of an exemplary arrangement of operations for amethod of extending a local area network.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

New access technologies, such as fiber to the home (FTTH), are removingthe bandwidth bottleneck between Internet service providers and end-userhomes by providing sustainable and symmetric 1 Gb/s connectivity to endusers. Such fiber access technology could potentially increase an accessbandwidth to 10 Gb/s or above between service providers and end users.

FIGS. 1A and 1B provide schematic views of exemplary architectures of afiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network 100 establishing fiber-opticcommunications between an Internet service provider 110 and aresidential network 130 of an end-user. An optical line termination 112(OLT) may provide a service provider endpoint for a passive opticalnetwork 120 that includes optical fiber 122 connecting the Internetservice provider 110 to the end-user residential network 130. Theoptical line termination 112 converts electrical signals used by serviceprovider equipment to/from fiber-optic signals used by the passiveoptical network 120. The optical line termination 112 also coordinatesmultiplexing between conversion devices (e.g., optical networkterminals).

An optical network terminal 132 (ONT) converts an optical signalreceived from the Internet service provider 110 (over the passiveoptical network 120) into an electrical signal and provides Layer 2media access control functions for the end-user residential network 130.The media access control (MAC) data communication protocol sub-layer,also known as the medium access control, is a sub-layer of the data linklayer (Layer 2) specified in the seven-layer Open SystemsInterconnection model (OSI model). Layer 1, the physical layer, defineselectrical and physical specifications for devices. Layer 2, the datalink layer, provides addressing and channel access control mechanisms,allowing several terminals or network nodes to communicate within amultiple access network incorporating a shared medium, e.g., Ethernet orcoaxial cables.

A residential gateway 134 (RG) of the residential network 130 providesLayer 3 network termination functions. The residential gateway 134 maybe equipped with multiple Internet protocol (IP) interfaces. In someimplementations, the optical network terminal 132 and the residentialgateway 134 are integrated as a single optical network—residentialgateway device 133 (as shown in FIG. 1B). The residential gateway 134acts as an access point for the residential network 130, for example, byoffering WiFi connectivity to the residential network 130.

IP network devices 136 may be connected to the residential gateway 134through a wired connection, such as a coaxial interface 135, an RJ-45interface 137, and/or a wireless interface, such as an RG-45 Ethernetinterface for 802.11 WiFi. In the example shown, an IPTV set top box 136a (STB), interfaces with the Internet through an RJ-45 connection withthe residential gateway 134 and with a television 140 through a highdefinition multimedia interface (HDMI). Other possible IP networkdevices 136 that may be connected to the residential gateway 134 includea computer 136 b, a voice-over-IP phone 136 c, and/or a portableelectronic device 136 d (e.g., cell phone, tablet computer, etc.). POTS(plain old telephone service) terminations 138 (FIG. 2B) may also beprovided by the optical network terminal 132 and/or the residentialgateway 134.

FIG. 2A provides a schematic view of an exemplary set top box 200, whichmay connect to the Internet through a wired connection. The term wiredconnection or wired communication refers to the transmission of dataover a wire-based or cable-based communication technology, such as, butnot limited to, telephonic lines and/or networks, coaxial cables,television or internet access through a cable medium, fiber-opticcables, etc. Since current WiFi technologies cannot offer 1 Gb/sconnectivity, a WiFi interface between the set top box 200 and theresidential gateway 134 may cause a bandwidth bottleneck in theresidential network 130.

WiFi throughput and performance depends on many factors such as distancefrom an access point, obstructions by walls, interference from othersources, etc. In a household where multiple set top boxes 200 are needed(e.g., one in each bedroom), Wi-Fi connectivity between the set topboxes 200 and a residential gateway 134 acting as a single wirelessaccess point for the residential network 130 could be problematic. Witha single Wi-Fi access point, the WiFi coverage in a typical suburbanhousehold could be sporadic with blind spots having bad signalthroughput and reception. Moreover, total bandwidth of a single accesspoint may be insufficient to support all in-home networking needs.

The set top box 200 includes a network extender 210 providing networkextension functionality, extending accessibility of the residentialnetwork 130 and improving coverage of the residential network 130. Thenetwork extender 210 may be a network bridge offering layer 2 bridgingcapability or a network switch (e.g., a bridge with numerous ports). Insome examples, the network extender 210 includes one or more RJ-45 localarea network (LAN) connections 212 and/or a coaxial interface 214, whichcould, for example, comply with the MoCA (Multimedia over coaxial cableAlliance) standard or ITU-T G.hn standard.

Bridging is a forwarding technique used in packet-switched computernetworks. Unlike routing, bridging makes no assumptions about where in anetwork a particular address is located. Instead, it depends on floodingand examination of source addresses in received packet headers to locateunknown devices. Once a device has been located, its location can berecorded in a table where the source address is stored so as to avoidthe need for further flooding. The bridging capability of the networkextender 210 extends the residential network 130 as a local areanetwork. As a network bridge, the network extender 210 may connectmultiple network segments at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OpenSystems Interconnection model (OSI) model. Moreover, the networkextender 210 may support multiple virtual local area networks (VLANs)inside the residential network 130.

FIG. 2B provides a schematic view of an exemplary residential network130 having the set top box 200 connected to the residential gateway 134(or integrated optical network terminal—residential gateway 133) throughthe RJ-45 LAN interface 212. FIG. 2C provides a schematic view of anexemplary residential network 130 having the set top box 200 connectedto the residential gateway 134 (or integrated optical networkterminal—residential gateway 133) through the coaxial interface 214. Inboth cases, the network extender 210 acts as a Layer 2 bridging device,extending the residential network 130.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, in some implementations, the set top box 200includes a media player 220 (e.g., an internet protocol and/or highdefinition (HD) media player) in communication with the network extender210. The media player 220 may combine a hard drive (HD) enclosure withhardware and software for playing audio, video and photos through a homeentertainment system, for example. The media player 220 may include acomputing processor 225 executing instructions to format a signalreceived from the network extender 210 for use by a media device, suchas a television 140. The media player 220 may also include memory 227for storing the instructions. The media player 220 may include one ormore peripheral interfaces 222, such as an HDMI interface 222 a, auniversal serial bus (USB) interface 222 b, a composite video interface222 c for backward compatibility with legacy analog TVs, and/or anoptical audio port interface 222 d. In some implementations, the networkextender 210 and the media player 220 are arranged together or evenintegrated together within the set top box 200 (e.g., within the samehousing and/or on the same integrated circuit).

The set top box 200 may include one or more wireless transceivers 230,such as a network interface controller (NIC) 230 a or Wi-Fi interface, aBluetooth device 230 b, and/or an infrared (IR) device 230 c, allowingthe set top box 200 to act as a wireless access point (WAP) for theresidential network 130. The Bluetooth and IR interfaces may be used forcommunicating with a remote control.

A system on a chip or system on chip (SoC or SOC) is an integratedcircuit (IC) that integrates components of a computer or otherelectronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog,mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions all on a single chipsubstrate. In some implementations, system on a chip (SOC) technologiesmay be used to combine the network extender 210 with the media player220, and/or the wireless transceiver(s) 230 on a singleapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

The WiFi interface 230 a may be configured as an access point with thesame SSID(s) (service set identifier(s)) as configured by theresidential gateway 134. In some examples, the residential gateway 134just passes the SSID(s) to the network extender 210. To the end user,this creates a single seamless WiFi network that supports user roamingfrom one location to another location with relatively good wirelesssignal reception anywhere in the residential network 130. Multiple settop boxes 200, acting as WiFi access points, within the residentialnetwork 130 can be configured with frequency settings that minimizeinterference and offer optimal signal throughput and network robustness.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in some implementations, a home 300 mayinclude a coaxial network 302 and/or a structured wiring network 304(e.g., CAT 5 wiring, RJ-45 Ethernet cables) that can be used to providea wired connection between the residential gateway 134 (or integratedoptical network terminal—residential gateway 133) and multiple set topboxes 200 (media players 220 with network extenders 210 (MP w/NE))throughout the home 300 (e.g., in multiple rooms).

Existing structured wiring or coaxial cable within a residential home300 can be used with multiple set top boxes 200 to expand theresidential network 130. The coaxial interface is a ubiquitous broadbandmedium with 1 GHz bandwidth capabilities which has been widely used incable television (CATV) signal distribution. Coaxial cable terminationsin a user residence are typically located next to a television 140,which is convenient for the set top box 200. The MoCA 2.0 standardsupports 400 Mb/s throughput in a single 100 MHz frequency channel on acoaxial cable network using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing(OFDM), which is a method of encoding digital data on multiple carrierfrequencies, and without MoCA channel bonding. With channel bonding(i.e. using two 100 MHz frequency channels for transmission), MoCA 2.0can support a maximum of 800 Mb/s transmission throughput over coaxialcable. The ITU-T G.hn advertises 1 Gb/s throughput over coaxial cable.

RJ-45 LAN connections are a robust, full-duplex technology that canprovide 1 Gb/s sustained throughput. In some examples, the coaxialnetwork 302 and the structured wiring network 304 (RJ-45 interface) areused in a mixed manner where set top boxes 200 in certain sections ofthe home 300 are connected to the residential gateway 134 using thestructured wiring network 304 (e.g., RJ-45 LAN cables) and other set topboxes 200 in other sections of the home 300 are connected to theresidential gateway 134 using the coaxial network 302. To prevent Layer2 network loops and broadcast storms, a spanning tree protocol (STP) maybe executed in the coaxial network 302 and the structured wiring network304 with the structured wiring network 304 (RJ-45 interface) receiving ahigher priority than the coaxial network 302.

FIG. 4 is schematic view of an exemplary arrangement 400 of operationsfor a method of extending a local area network. The method includesplacing 402 multiple set top boxes 200 about a residence or home 300 andestablishing 404 a wired connection between each set top box 200 and aresidential gateway 134 of a residential local area network 130. In someimplementations, the method includes establishing a wireless connectionbetween at least one of the set top boxes 200 and a local computingdevice, such as a portable computer or an IP network device 136, in theresidential local area network 130. The wireless connection may be aWiFi connection, a Bluetooth connection, or an infrared connection. Themethod may include establishing a wired connection between theresidential gateway 134 (or integrated optical networkterminal—residential gateway 133) and a remote service provider 110. Thewired connection may be a fiber optic connection.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A local area network system comprising: a remoteresidential gateway in wired communication with a remote serviceprovider; and multiple set top boxes in wired communication with theresidential gateway, each set top box comprising: anapplication-specific integrated circuit comprising and integratingthereon: a network extender having a wired connection to a remoteresidential gateway of a local area network, the network extendercapable of providing at least a 1 Gb/s data transfer rate; and a mediaplayer in communication with the network extender and having a computingprocessor executing instructions to format a signal received from thenetwork extender for use by a media device; and at least one wirelesstransceiver in communication with the network extender, the at least onewireless transceiver configured as a WiFi access point having the sameat least one service set identifier as the residential gateway,extending the local area network, the residential gateway passing the atleast one service set identifier to each set top box; wherein each settop box is configured as an access point for the local area network ofthe residential gateway.
 2. The local area network system of claim 1,wherein the network extender comprises a network bridge.
 3. The localarea network system of claim 1, wherein the network extender comprises aswitch having multiple ports.
 4. A local area network system comprising:a remote residential gateway in wired communication with a remoteservice provider; and multiple set top boxes in wired communication withthe residential gateway, each set top box comprising: anapplication-specific integrated circuit comprising and integratingthereon: a network extender having a wired connection to a remoteresidential gateway of a local area network; and a media player incommunication with the network extender and having a computing processorexecuting instructions to format a signal received from the networkextender for use by a media device; and at least one wirelesstransceiver in communication with the network extender, the at least onewireless transceiver configured as a WiFi access point having the sameat least one service set identifier as the residential gateway,extending the local area network, the residential gateway passing the atleast one service set identifier to each set top box; wherein each settop box is configured as an access point for the local area network ofthe residential gateway.
 5. A local area network system comprising: aremote residential gateway in wired communication with a remote serviceprovider; and multiple set top boxes in wired communication with theresidential gateway, each set top box comprising: anapplication-specific integrated circuit comprising and integratingthereon: a network extender having a wired connection to a remoteresidential gateway of a local area network; a media player incommunication with the network extender and having a computing processorexecuting instructions to format a signal received from the networkextender for use by a media device; and at least one wirelesstransceiver in communication with the network extender, the at least onewireless transceiver configured as a WiFi access point having the sameat least one service set identifier as the residential gateway,extending the local area network, the residential gateway passing the atleast one service set identifier to each set top box; wherein each settop box is configured as an access point for the local area network ofthe residential gateway.
 6. The local area network system of claim 1,wherein each set top box further comprises a Bluetooth transceiver incommunication with the network extender.
 7. The local area networksystem of claim 1, wherein each set top box further comprises aninfrared transceiver in communication with the network extender.
 8. Thelocal area network system of claim 1, further comprising an opticalnetwork terminal in communication with the residential gateway.
 9. Thelocal area network system of claim 8, wherein the optical networkterminal is integrated with the residential gateway and configured as anaccess point.
 10. The local area network system of claim 8, wherein thewired connection from the remote service provider comprises a fiberoptic cable connection.
 11. The local area network system of claim 8,wherein the wired connection between the set top boxes and theresidential gateway comprises a coaxial cable connection.
 12. The localarea network system of claim 8, wherein the wired communication betweenthe set top boxes and the residential gateway comprises communicationover an RJ-45 interface.
 13. A method of extending a local area network,the method comprising: placing multiple set top boxes about a residence;and establishing a wired connection between each set top box and aresidential gateway of the local area network; wherein each set top boxcomprises: an application-specific integrated circuit comprising andintegrating thereon: a network extender having a wired connection to theresidential gateway; and a media player in communication with thenetwork extender and having a computing processor executing instructionsto format a signal received from the network extender for use by a mediadevice; and at least one wireless transceiver in communication with thenetwork extender, the at least one wireless transceiver configured as aWiFi access point having the same at least one service set identifier asthe residential gateway, extending the local area network, theresidential gateway passing the at least one service set identifier toeach set top box; wherein each set top box receives data packets fromthe residential gateway through the corresponding wired connections andis an access point for the local area network.
 14. The method of claim13, further comprising establishing a wireless connection between atleast one of the set top boxes and a local computing device in the localarea network.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the wirelessconnection comprises at least one of a WiFi connection, a Bluetoothconnection, or an infrared connection.
 16. The method of claim 13,further comprising establishing a wired connection between theresidential gateway and a remote service provider.
 17. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the application-specific integrated circuit integratesthereon the at least one wireless transceiver.
 18. The method of claim13, wherein the network extender is capable of providing at least a 1Gb/s data transfer rate.
 19. The local area network system of claim 4,wherein the network extender comprises a network bridge or a switchhaving multiple ports.